Golden State Warriors Upgrade Tech Services

The Warriors’ new ownership is still strugglinig to field a better product on the court. But tech-savvy fans are getting a little better product in the stands.

New owners Joe Lacob (Kleiner Perkins) and Vivek Ranadive (Tibco) are bringing some Silicon Valley know-how to aptly named Oracle Arena and it’s resulting in some advances on the technology front.

Because, let’s face it, there’s nothing worse for the digitally addicted than attending a huge sporting event. The cell networks get overloaded. Wi-Fi is slow, if available at all. All you have to do is visit Candlestick Park for a 49ers game and you’ll get what I’m talking about. It’s a digital disaster.

Over in Oakland, it’s never been much better. Boththe Coliseum and Oracle are massive concrete structures that were built to thwart wireless connectivity.

The Warriors did two things to to make your doo-dads work better inside:

1. They installed a free in-arena Wi-Fi system, featuring 185 wireless access points to serve the 19,596-seat arena. That should help you tablet users and serve as a decent data backup for the smart phone crowd. And, believe it or not, it’s a rarity in the league. Only one other NBA gives fans free Wi-Fi.

2. They also improved cell phone service… if you’re on AT&T. (@#&*!@*$!…..) The team put in a new Distributed Antenna System (DAS) to bump up the AT&T signal.

Once you get that device working, the Warriors are hoping to jump on the mobile bandwagon with their new app called “Golden State Warriors Mobile.” It’s in beta but you can get it on Apple’s app store.

The other night, I went to the Arena to talk to Vivek about the new technology. It was Bollywood night at the arena and you could see all kinds of Silicon Valley luminaries making their way around the pre-game party. My favorite was Tim Draper, of Draper, Fisher, Jurvetson fame, making his way around the room in full regalia. (Only Tim Draper can pull this kind of thing off…)

Having been around the team for a few years, this was not always the scene at the Oracle. The new guys have brought some new blood into the building — and some new technology. Now all they need is some new players.

draper

Venture capitalist Tim Draper was in full effect at the Warriors Bollywood night party last Thursday. (Al Saracevic/SF Chronicle)